


First Steps

by fujibutts



Series: Iwaoi Week [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Smoking, Underage Smoking, no drug use, unless you count cigarettes as drugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-03
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-02-15 23:14:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2246991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fujibutts/pseuds/fujibutts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Over the course of their lives, which were intertwined with the bonds of platonic friendship and otherwise, Iwaizumi and Oikawa shared many firsts with each other...But out of all of their firsts, there was one that Iwaizumi wished had never taken place at all. </p><p>...</p><p>It became a sort of tradition, every time they lost against Ushijima. (Though Iwaizumi was loathe to use that word, since the word tradition had a more pleasant connotation. Things like Christmas dinner with the family and going to the temple at the start of the new year were traditions. This was nothing like that. This was nothing but a bad habit, a shit coping mechanism for something that they both unfortunately should’ve gotten used to ages ago.) Oikawa would smoke three or four or maybe an entire pack in one night. Most times Iwaizumi would be with him to make sure he didn’t overdo himself like he was unfortunately very prone to doing.</p><p>Iwaoi Week Day 2: First Time</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Steps

**Author's Note:**

> i'd been freaking out all day about the prompt but this popped into my head half way through my walk home sooo.........

Iwaoi Week Day 2-First Times

Over the course of their lives, which were intertwined with the bonds of platonic friendship and otherwise, Iwaizumi and Oikawa shared many firsts with each other. Often times, those firsts were, well, the first of many things that would be repeated over and over until forever. Like the first time they held hands, the first time Oikawa tossed for Iwaizumi (the first time Iwaizumi attempted tossing to Oikawa), the first time they kissed, the first time they won a match…

But out of all of their firsts, there was one that Iwaizumi wished had never taken place at all. Even years later he would think back to the first time it had happened and regretted not stopping Oikawa when he could.

It was the eve of first loss of their high school careers. It was the first time they had lost to Shiratorizawa, but it definitely wasn’t the first time that they had lost to Ushijima Wakatoshi.

As prominent first years (more like Oikawa was, and Iwaizumi was just generally liked by their upperclassmen so he was invited along too), they attended a party held by one of their classmates whose parents were out of town. It was also their first high school party.

Upon arrival Oikawa was swarmed by first years but Iwaizumi kept close, and eventually, they moved on to another boy, and the two of them were sitting on a couch, relaxing and enjoying the party atmosphere when one of their teammates sauntered over and plopped himself on the other side of Oikawa.

It was one of the third years on their team, Toyama Hiroki, or as he was known around the school (and throughout his inter-school fanclub) ‘Hiro-sama’. He was smooth and charismatic, getting whatever he wanted with just a bat of his long eyelashes and a flip of his sleek black locks. Iwaizumi thought that Oikawa probably would have turned out just like him, if not for Ushijima pushing him to his limits and Iwaizumi keeping him in line. Toyama played in the match too, as their official setter. Oikawa joined in the last half of the match to complete the lineup as their second setter, but when it all came down to it, Oikawa was more upset as a first year than Toyama as a third year at losing the Inter-High to Shiratorizawa. 

(Maybe they weren’t so alike, Iwaizumi would think back; even if Ushijima wasn’t there he was sure that Oikawa would have much more drive than Toyama.)

“Want one?” Toyama offered the two of them a small red and white carton.

They weren’t naïve little kids. Of course they knew that there would be smoking and alcohol and drugs at the party. In fact, half the team was already drunk off their asses at the watered down punch that they tried to pass as sangria. Iwaizumi immediately shook his head and turned down the cigarettes. Toyama shrugged and tapped the bottom of the box, extracting one for himself and lighting it. He took a deep puff and visibly relaxed, sinking heavily into the couch. “How about you, little man?” he looked at Oikawa, offering him the box.

Iwaizumi almost scoffed. Of course he wouldn’t take one. This was Oikawa for god’s sake. The same Oikawa that took care of his body like a well oiled machine, keeping any junk foods and otherwise unhealthy things at least ten meters away from his body to keep it in tip top shape, ready to face off Ushijima at a moment’s notice. Hell, he even got on Iwaizumi’s case whenever he mentioned eating out at the ramen place a few blocks from school, listing the sodium content and apparent excessive amount of fats and oils in the broth by heart. So it took him by surprise when Oikawa nodded ever so slightly and took the box, plucking a stick from it and holding his palm out for the lighter.

“What the fuck are you doing idiot?!” the words fell out of his mouth before he could catch them, hand flying forward to smack the back of Oikawa’s head. But instead he turned his head away, placing the cigarette between his lips and lighting up like it was the more natural to him than volleyball. Once he was all set, Oikawa took a deep breath, holding it for a second before coughing out the smoke. Instinctively, Iwaizumi reached out to the collar of Oikawa’s shirt half ready to yank him back to face him so he could knock some sense into the idiot- but Toyama’s hand beat him there, rubbing and patting gently at his back, soothing him just a bit.

“Is it your first time?”

Oikawa nodded weakly, twiddling the lit cigarette between his fingers.

Toyama let out a boisterous laugh, ruffling Oikawa’s hair. Iwaizumi felt his eyebrows come together as his face contorted into a frown. Upperclassman or not this guy was seriously starting to get on his nerves.

“It’s okay, the first one is always the worst. You’ll get used to it!” as if to solidify his point, Toyama took another pull, pausing for a moment before blowing out a perfect smoke ring. “It’s a pretty good way to relax.”

In the coming years Iwaizumi couldn’t name a single person he resented more than he resented Toyama Hiroki at that moment.

…

It became a sort of tradition, every time they lost against Ushijima. (Though Iwaizumi was loathe to use that word, since the word tradition had a more pleasant connotation. Things like Christmas dinner with the family and going to the temple at the start of the new year were traditions. This was nothing like that. This was nothing but a bad habit, a shit coping mechanism for something that they both unfortunately should’ve gotten used to ages ago.) Oikawa would smoke three or four or maybe an entire pack in one night. Most times Iwaizumi would be with him to make sure he didn’t overdo himself like he was unfortunately very prone to doing.

After high school, when Oikawa pursued volleyball while studying Nutritional Sciences and Iwaizumi chose to start the long path to becoming a certified athletic trainer, the ‘tradition’ persisted. (Years of basic health classes from primary school through high school, and also their fields of study being so involved in athletics and health, of course they knew that smoking was unhealthy and came with too many consequences for it to be worth anything, but still. A habit was a habit.)

…

He had lost to Ushijima once more, but instead of going through the usual ritual, after lighting the first cigarette, Oikawa immediately put it out and threw away the lighter as well as the familiar red and white box. 

Later that same day he hung up his jersey and stored his volleyball shoes in the back of his and Iwaizumi’s shared closet.

“Not gonna smoke?” Iwaizumi asked with a morbid curiosity.

“What’s the point?” Oikawa sneered in the direction of the closet. “It was a way of getting me to clear my head so I could train, Iwa-chan. There’s no point anymore if I can’t- if I can’t train!” The tears began streaming down Oikawa’s face before his voice was affected, but soon enough his words were nearly unintelligible, punctuated with desperate sobs and choked gasps.

Iwaizumi stepped forward and slowly pulled Oikawa into his arms, letting him wipe his snot and tears on his newly pressed work shirt. 

“I- I worked so hard Iwa-chan! I worked so hard and now it’s gone be-because of some STUPID FUCKING-“

“Shh…” He stroked Oikawa’s hair, smoothing it and making comforting shushing noises to calm him down as best as he could.

“I worked SO har- hard Iwa-chan!”

“I know you did, Tooru,” Iwaizumi sighed and pulled him even closer than before. “Now it’s time to rest.”

And at twenty-four years old, Iwaizumi Hajime helped Oikawa Tooru turn away from his goal of beating Ushijima Wakatoshi for the first time in ten years… Hopefully it would be the last, too.


End file.
